Report
Teaser, summary, work performed and final results
Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MadridERN 2018-2019 (Researchers, key drivers of growth in Europe)
Teaser
The European Researchers’ Night in Madrid aimed to highlight the important role researchers’ play in European citizens’ welfare not only as the engine of technological innovation but also by their contribution to the advancement of knowledge in Europe. The MadridERN...
Summary
The European Researchers’ Night in Madrid aimed to highlight the important role researchers’ play in European citizens’ welfare not only as the engine of technological innovation but also by their contribution to the advancement of knowledge in Europe. The MadridERN project was addressed to citizens of the Region of Madrid that aimed to bring researchers and their work closer to the public at large and to promote research careers among young people without gender barriers from very early ages. To achieve this goal a wide and strong awareness campaign were launched combining the traditional communication vectors (written press, radio, tv or street adverts) with the new ones (online). The event aimed to attract as much people as possible by transmitting the main messages of the Night, i.e: Science is for all of us; The diversity of Researchers, Researchers are amongst us.
Work performed
\"Tasks undertaken (WP1):
Target
Public at large regardless of age and scientific background, especially children and young people faced with a career choice or with the option of studying STEM subjects specially girls less willing to choose these subjects
Communication tools
Offline: leaflets and posters displayed in universities, schools, libraries, cultural and tourism centres; publication of articles, promotional announcements, interviews in newspapers; publication of press releases displayed to radio, press, TV channels
Public advertising: adverts in urban furniture, billboards and posters in metro stations; pre-events
Online
The project website and the social networks profiles, other institutional and popular websites, and e- mailing based on coordinator\'s and cooperating bodies\' mailing lists
Results achieved (WP1)
o Over 12.300 leaflets, roll-ups and posters, displayed in over 1.500 distribution points of the Comunidad de Madrid
o Outdoors advertising circuit in the main and long streets in the centre of Madrid
o Advertising in public places and public transport: posters in main underground stations of Madrid
o Airing of announcements, advertising, programmes, interviews, news reports on radio and TV stations
o Publication of articles, interviews, announcements, advertising in written press
o Organisation of a press conference
o Sending of a press kit to the main radio stations, newspapers, websites of science and technology and TV programmes
o Publication of press releases, by the coordinator and the rest by some of the institutions involved
o Sending of invitations to over 64.500 e-mail addresses, schools, universities, research centres, scientific and technological parks…
o Promotion during public events
o Meetings and brokerages of the Enterprise Europe Network
o Info days of MSC Actions
o Organisation of pre events
o Distribution of posters and leaflets in schools
o Launch of the video Contest \"\"Quick Lab for young students of the region of Madrid\"\"
o Revamping, constant updating and maintenance of the project website and of website of the ERN in Spain
o Links with the 29 websites of the institutions involved
o 411.085 hits from May to the end of November and 54.862 unique visitors
o Revamping of social network profiles
o Special hashtags: #NIGHTmadrid, #NIGHTspain, #MSCNight and #europeanresearchersnight used for all the ERN in Madrid, Spain and Europe; Spanish hashtags: #Lanochedelosinvestigadores and #enganchatealaciencia, having more than 27 million Twitter impressions
o Instagram: 457 researchers’ profiles were published with information about their hobbies, family
o Posting of over 50 pieces of news in print and digital press
o About 3.500.000 were made aware of the ERN objectives
Tasks undertaken (WP2)
Locations: Madrid, Alcalá de Henares, Móstoles and Fuenlabrada, Boadilla del Monte, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Villaviciosa de Odón and Aranjuez.
Venues: University campuses, research centres, museums, botanical gardens, penthouse bar, cultural and innovative centres, including places where researchers carry out their daily work and places where people will not normally expect to see researchers.
Activities: hands-on experiments, exhibitions, workshops, popular science lectures, guided tour, scientific camping, scientific gymkhana, jazz concert, show cooking, lab visits, presentation of prototypes, speed dating sessions, display of films and videos, science shows, demos, crime investigation, games, contest
Results achieved (WP2)
o 56 activities, 48 organized by the participants institutions and 8 parallel activities
o Involvement of 626 researchers of whom: 53 having benefitted from Marie Curie scheme, 91 having benefitted from support under FP7/HORIZON 2020
o Overall number of attendees of 13.926 visitors
Tasks undertaken (WP3)
o Ex ante questionnaire available on website
o On-going questionnaire handled to the attendees
o Face to face interviews
o Special questionnaires designed for children
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Final results
Display of:
3.344 ex-posts questionnaires; 316 face to face interviews; 236 ex-ante on line questionnaires
Collection and processing of 1.236 random questionnaires
Conclusions
o Visitors: 60.9% female and 39.1% male, 74.1% aged under 45, 45.2% secondary/vocational training education and 53.0% university studies, 22.7% declaring advanced level and 47.9% average level of scientific knowledge
o Children (under 16): 55.7% girls, 43.0% boys. 40.9% under 9, 28.8% 10-12 and 28.1% 13-15, 95.3% declaring interested in science issues
o Feedback: 91.3% considered activities interesting and very interesting
o Researchers: general consideration of the Night as necessary and very necessary (95,4%) to promote the choice of scientific vocations (84,8%), consideration to be seen as weird people by the public for 45.8%; 96.7 % expressing their intention to participate in future editions;
o Modification of opinion about researchers 59.3% interviews, researchers perceived as dedicated creative and intelligent people
o Most successful activities: Industry research activities for society. European Corner; A night of experiences and the CRISPR-CAS genetic edition.
o Improved public image of researchers and their work: 67.6% considering research contributes to improving competitiveness and welfare state, 80.3% to spread knowledge and train future professional people and 66.2% to solve social problems
o Nevertheless 92.2% state that the researchers’ role is still unknown in our society.
o Impact on interest for scientific careers: 81.2% under 16 years old declare that they would like to become a researcher in the future, 56.9% adults would like to study science and 54.0% would like to become a researcher
o 82.8% adults and 91.3% children intending to attend future editions of the ERN
o To be modified: difficulty to attract MSC fellows; need for reminding them of the Night\'s importance; difficulty to combine huge crowds and direct contact with researchers; need to simplify and shorten the questionnaires
Website & more info
More info: http://www.madrimasd.org/lanochedelosinvestigadores2018/.